Just Add Color: Carnival

19/5/2015

This book is so opulent! It's full of characters from the carnival world, with masks, costumes and dramatic make up all waiting to be coloured in. I love colouring books that are so different to many others around, and this definitely is- it's so fun! There are 30 different line drawings for you to fill in, and each one is as beautiful and quirky as the last.

The illustrator, Sarah Walsh, is an American artist who's interests include vintage and magical creatures, which I think you can see in her artwork. The drawings seem to have a period-style to them, as if they're from another era. I'm reminded of Venetian masquerade masks, street parades and booming drums. It really takes you into another world whilst you're colouring, which I love.

A great thing about this book is the paper. It is very thick, almost cardlike, so you'll have no problem with markers here. Alcohol pens will always bleed through, but this book has one-sided pages so as long as you slip a piece of paper between there's no problem. Each page is also perforated, meaning you can remove them with ease if you wanted to put them in a binder or hang/frame them. The book cover is soft-feel matt, lovely quality. It's also not quite as big as A4, more of a square shape, which feels nice & manageable.
There are lots of books in the Just Add Color series, and if the standard of drawings and paper is anything like this one I'll definitely be purchasing the rest. Have a look at my completed pictures!